Publication date: SpeechPublished on November 22, 2025
Overview – "What's This All About?"
- Author: Federal Councillor Beat Jans (Minister of Justice)
- Publication: News Admin CH
- Date: November 22, 2025
- Occasion: Keynote speech at ETH Day 2025 in Zurich
- Reading time: approx. 7-8 minutes
Summary – "I Got It, Now You Will Too"
Federal Councillor Beat Jans, himself an ETH graduate (Environmental Sciences, graduated 1994), uses ETH Day for a passionate appeal to defend scientific values and international cooperation.
- ETH was founded in 1855 as the Federal Polytechnic and is inextricably linked to the Swiss federal state
- Jans warns against global anti-enlightenment tendencies: science is being degraded to mere opinion, education is being ridiculed
- The EU treaty package secures full access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus – a "major negotiation success"
- The SVP's "10-Million-Switzerland Initiative" (vote in 2025) threatens these achievements
- According to rankings, ETH is Europe's best university with 22 Nobel Prizes
- Without immigration and international networking, Switzerland cannot maintain its leading position
- He quotes Marie Curie: Scholars should be modest, but defend their ideas resolutely
Opportunities & Risks – "It's Complicated"
Opportunities:
- Secured access to the European research community strengthens innovation
- ETH as "magnet and lighthouse" secures Swiss competitiveness
- International cooperation enables solutions for global challenges (AI, climate, cyberwar)
Risks:
- Acceptance of the SVP initiative would jeopardize the EU treaty package and research access
- Authoritarian and nationalist forces worldwide threaten academic freedom
- Without qualified immigration, loss of innovative capacity looms
Looking Ahead – "What Could Come Next?"
- Short-term (1 year): Decisive vote on "10-Million-Switzerland Initiative" – setting the course for EU relations
- Medium-term (5 years): Depending on vote outcome, either consolidated position in European research landscape or increasing isolation
- Long-term (10-20 years): Switzerland must decide between scientific openness as an innovation hub or nationalist isolation with loss of competitiveness
Fact Check – "Is This Even True?"
Well-documented statements:
- ETH founding in 1855 and historical connection to the federal state
- 22 Nobel Prizes at ETH
- Top position in European rankings
Lacking transparency/data:
- Specific details about the EU treaty package only superficially mentioned
- Effects of the "10-Million-Switzerland Initiative" not detailed
[⚠️ Still to be verified]Timing of referendum on EU package (2027 or 2028?)
Brief Conclusion
Beat Jans uses his ETH connection for an urgent political appeal: Switzerland stands at a crossroads between scientific openness and nationalist isolation. The Federal Councillor positions the upcoming vote on the SVP initiative as the first litmus test for the future of the research hub. His message is clear: Without international networking and qualified immigration, Switzerland loses its innovative strength – and ETH its excellence.
Three Critical Questions
Is academic freedom being instrumentalized here to sell a political treaty package whose details are barely known to the public?
Who bears responsibility if the proclaimed inevitability of EU integration later brings disadvantages for direct democracy?
Where is the transparency about the concrete effects of the EU package on wage protection and public services – or are these just reassuring empty phrases?